Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon
by Brynhild GoUrL
Summary: What if what Max Evans and Serena Tsukino switched destinies? This is Serena's side of the twist. It's a weird fic I came up with when I was daydreaming in math class. Also check out Crossdestiny: Roswell, the companion story.
1. Prologue

  
{Title} "Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon"  
or  
"What happens when you fall asleep in math class after pulling an all-nighter just to read Roswell and Sailor Moon fanfiction"  
  
{Author} Bryn_GoUrL, Goddess of Unrequited Love  
  
{Rating} Um... PG I guess. It's pretty mild, but there might be stuff later on. If it gets steamier, I'll warn you.  
  
{Disclaimer} I don't own Roswell or Sailor Moon. I don't own the plotlines or the verbatem words of each character. All I own is my really old laptop (still hasn't been updated beyond windows 3.1), my cats, and my math textbook, so don't sue. You can have my math textbook cheap. *grin*  
  
{Summary} What if what Max Evans and Serena Tsukino switched destinies? This is Serena's side of the twist. It's a weird fic I came up with when I was daydreaming in math class. Also check out "Crossdestiny: Roswell", the companion story.  
  
When I say that Serena is going to have Max's destiny, I mean that the four aliens will learn about their previous lives on Altair. Understand now?  
  
{AN} This is an alternate reality, so characters are going to be really, really OOC. I can't write this otherwise, so either deal with it or stop reading now. I also am trying very hard to make this fic make sense, but if it doesn't, then I'm not going to freak. It helps if you don't assume a character is going to be a certian way just because they were in SM (ex. Mina, Amy, and Serena aren't aliens. It'll all become clearer *I hope* during the story. For those Roswell fans out there, think of Mina as Maria and Amy as Alex... kinda...). If you don't like the way I'm writing a character, then either give me some constructive critisism or else try writing it yourself and see how hard it is. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please review. Feedback is like toy mice for my cats: desired, used, and cherished :) lol  
  
Why so OOC? Well, because in the SM history, The sailor scouts have already been activated a long time before the prncess/prince are revealed. Since the characters are not going to be sailor scouts, I have to mess with the timeline a little. That's why both of the crossdestiny stories start with the basic 'roswell' history (I.e. Girl gets shot, boy heals her, girl discovers boy and boy's friends are aliens, girl's friends find out too and are loyal) 'cause at the discover point (ep 'Destiny') in Roswell, pretty much anything can happen. That's why it's so great for a foundation. So, that's why I'm listing this as an alternate universe, since the SM timeline is prettymuch (cover ears) shot to hell (uncover ears), and the only thing it has to do with SM is the character's names, their physical discriptions, and their basic personalities (i.e. Raye's got a crush on Darien, Serena's loyal to Endymon and also slightly a ditz, and Amy's the brain)  
  
{Who these stories are best for} A Roswellite turned Moonie. (An obsessed roswell fan that just got addicted to Sailor Moon, like me *grin crazily*) If you've never seen Roswell and/or Sailor moon, these stores will probabally make no sense to you. Feel free to r/r, but I just wanted to warn you first.  
  
~~~~~  
Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon  
Prologue  
~~~~~  
  
Serena stood near the door of Crown Arcade, watching as Andy, Raye, Lita, and Darien gathered in the center of the room. Serious expressions were on everybody's faces, as they stared at the two small oval stones with a strange alien symbol cut in the center.  
  
*Why am I here?* Serena thought to herself. Was it really because she couldn't bear to leave Darien? Or was it because reciently he had been more and more distant from her, and she was afraid that if she wasn't near him, he would no longer want to be with her? Serena's chaotic thoughts tumbled around in her head and she let her gaze wander until it settled on the counter and barely visible floor behind it. That was where it had all started almost a year ago. Serena let her mind drift back to the day her life had changed, the day that her life should have ended.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Okay, that was the prologue/teaser. The next several chapers are going to happen before the teaser, so I guess you'd call them flashbacks. Don't worry, I'll make is very clear when the storyline gets to this point again. Until next chapter, Peace!  
  
Love to all,  
Bryn  
Goddess of Unrequited Love 


	2. Robbery

{Disclaimer} I don't own Roswell or Sailor Moon. (Duh. It doesn't take a brainiac like Amy to figure *that* out.) All I own is my really old laptop (still hasn't been updated beyond windows 3.1), my cats, and my math textbook, so don't sue. You can have my math textbook cheap. *grin*  
  
AN~: This is also my first sailormoon-ish fanfiction, so constructive critisism is SO wanted!!! I suck at action scenes, so I hope you ppl can understand it.  
  
  
~~~~~  
Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon  
Cpt 1: Robbery  
~~~~~  
  
It started out a normal day, just like any other Thursday. Serena and her best friend, Mina, headed over to Andrew's arcade after school to have a milkshake and play a game or two of 'Sailor V'. Walking inside, she had noticed her worst enemy, Darien Chiba, on a stool by the counter chatting with Andy. Serena and Darien had been enemies since they were children. They were always constantly arguing with each other, even now that their best friends were dating. But last year Serena turned fourteen and started noticing boys in a new light. She had to admit that eighteen-year-old Darien was rather handsome with his raven black hair and ocean-blue eyes... but he was still an annoying jerk and her arch nemesis.  
  
"Hey Meatball Head." Darien greeted her as she grabbed a seat next to him, referring to the round buns on either side of her head that her blonde pigtails were suspended from.  
  
Serena stiffened at the old nickname that she hated, but let it pass. "Hey Darien, Andrew." she greeted the college guys.  
  
"Hey Darien." Mina said, walking behind the counter and sliding her arms around Andrew's neck. "Hello Andrew." she murmured, her voice taking on a silky tone.  
  
Andrew grinned and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "Hello, Mina." he grinned, then lowered his head to capture her lips in a kiss.  
  
"So, Serena." Darien said, turning his gaze away from the couple. "You're here early today. What did you do, skip out on detention?" It was a well know fact that Serena was always late to school so her homeroom teacher always gave her detention.  
  
She gave him a look. "As if." she answered. "I got to school early today. Miss Haruna was so shocked, I thought she'd faint."  
  
Darien's eyebrow raised. "I wouldn't blame her." he replied, humor coloring his voice. "You going to school early is right up there with Godzilla storming downtown."  
  
"Or catching aliens walking among us?" Serena laughingly agreed, not noticing Darien suddenly stiffen slightly beside her.  
  
Darien forced a grin on his face and a laugh out of his suddenly dry throat. "Yeah." he replied, his laugh falling flat but luckily Serena didn't notice.  
  
Mina and Andy finally came up for air, and continued their conversation. "Lovely weather we're having." Mina said, grinning at the boring conversation.  
  
Andy smiled. "Yes, quite." A customer at the other end of the counter signaled for service, and he reluctantly separated from Mina. "I'd better get back to work."  
  
Mina pretended to pout, "Oh, alright. Serena and I will check out the new Sailor V game."  
  
Andy gave her one last quick kiss. "See you soon."  
  
Mina grinned as she left, then grabbed Serena's hand and dragged her over to the game console. Serena frowned at her best friend. "Just what has you so excited about an arcade game? It's usually impossible to get you to leave Andrew."  
  
Mina's grin grew wider. "What do you think about Darien?"  
  
"What?" the pigtail-ed blonde was caught off-guard. "Darien?" she said, thinking for a moment. "He's okay, I guess. Even though he's a creep and a jerk."  
  
Mina shook her head in exasperation as she dropped a coin into the game. "You can't see it? He's totally gone on you!" she said, blasting a few monsters as the superheroine, Sailor V.  
  
Serena sat on the chair next to her. "No way is Darien crushing on me. We're worst enemies! He hates me. And he's four years older than me."  
  
Mina sighed. "You know that if a guy hates you as much as Darien hates you, it really means he likes you. It's basic kindergarten psychology. And anyway, there's the same age difference between me and Andy that's between you and Darien, and you don't see that putting a damper on our relationship, do you? Trust me, Darien is totally into you. He's always staring at you when you're not looking."  
  
Serena glancing at the dark-haired guy at the counter. It didn't look as if he was always watching her. "Mina, that is so in your imagination."  
  
Mina smiled mischievously. "Why don't you go and get our milkshakes then? I dare you."  
  
"Fine." Serena turned and stalked away, slipping behind the counter to grab a large milkshake glass. She ignored Darien as she started making Mina's shake, filling the glass with thick, dark strawberry syrup before setting the glass near the edge of the counter in order to grab a second glass for her own shake.  
  
"You know, if you leave the glass there, the next person who walks by will knock it off." Darien drawled, also noticing how close the glass was to the edge of the counter.  
  
Serena mildly glared at him as she paused, setting down the second glass next to the chocolate syrup container. "No they won't, and I'll be moving it in a minute anyway."  
  
Darien shrugged. "I'm just warning you, Meatball Head."  
  
Serena's glare turned lethal and she promptly forgot Mina's revelation of a few minutes ago. "Stop calling me that." Jerk, she added mentally. Darien just grinned at Serena's annoyance.  
  
"But you're so cute when you're angry. I can't resist," he said.  
  
Serena fumed mentally, and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. "Creep." she muttered, and he laughed.  
  
Just then, two masked men ran into the arcade, both holding guns. "Everybody down! This is a robbery!" one yelled as the other one pointed his gun at Serena, thinking that she worked there.  
  
"Empty the cash register." he ordered, his finger on the trigger. Serena froze, her eyes glued on the gun aimed straight at her.  
  
Darien crouched on the floor, his mind working out the statistics. He could easily jump the guy threatening Serena and probably get the gun away from him. The second guy was busy collecting valuables from the people in the arcade section of the store, so that made it a matter of getting the gun away from the first guy before the second guy realized what happened. Fear for Serena clutched at his heart, motivating Darien to risk it. Jumping up, he threw himself at the first robber, yelling at Serena to duck down behind the counter.  
  
"What th--" was all the guy could say before Darien was on him, reaching for the gun. The two struggled for the weapon, drawing the second robber's attention. The second guy brought up his gun, aiming at the guy attacking his partner.  
  
"Let him go!" the second robber yelled, firing once. Darien and the first robber both tensed at the sound of the gunshot, but neither of them had been hit. Sirens sounded in the distance, growing louder as they got closer. Realizing that this gig wasn't going to be pulled off as swiftly as he had thought, the first robber decided to retreat. Both guys ran out and Darien relaxed.  
  
"Sere!" Mina screamed. She had run next to him and was leaning over the counter, eyes wide at what she saw.  
  
Darien's heart stopped as he looked too. On the floor behind the counter Serena laid, a dark red stain blossoming like a maroon flower over her stomach.  
  
"Oh God, no." Darien murmured as he understood. Serena had been shot...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*gasp* Oh no! Who could've guessed! Actually... you could've guessed if you'd read the teaser and known that Sere almost died, so I guess this isn't as big of a cliffhanger as it could've been, but OH WELL. *sighs* I wonder what dispicable deeds I'll write next... You'll just have to tune in next time to find out! *evil laugh*  
  
I told ya I was a college student, right? That means I don't know when the next chapter will be out. Hopefully ASAP. (*shameless Plug* Reviews inspire me to write more *sheepish grin* well, they do...)  
  
Love to all,  
Bryn  
Goddess of Unrequited Love 


	3. A Secret Revealed

{Disclaimer} I don't own Roswell or Sailor Moon. (If I did own Roswell, do you think I'd have let them kill of Alex in the second season? Or let those in power turn the dubbed Uranus and Neptune scouts into cousins? I don't think so.) Don't sue me. All you'll get is my math textbook and trust me: It's not worth the hassle. Oh, and I kinda 'borrowed' a little of the description of how he heals her from the book "Roswell High: The Outsider". I can't help it! Even though I dislike the discrepancies between the book and the television series, I did like a couple parts from the book, so if you recognize anything, I don't own it. Okay?  
  
AN~: Wow! I had hoped ppl would like this story, but six positive reviews? I'm totally blown away! Ashles, Jenn, Amethyst, ive, Rachel*, and IceAngel, Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope ya'll like the next chapter.  
  
{Changes} Nothing big, I just changed a few minor details in chapter one: It's Thursday, and Serena only filled one of those big milkshake glasses with strawberry syrup. Forget the ladle. ("But..." Brynhild la Fey starts to say but I interupt her. "Forget it! There's no ladle!" "Fine." She mutters. I turn my attention back to the lovely readers). If you want to go back and read it, it's up to you, but those are basically the only changes. And now, on with the fic!  
  
Oh, In case you didn't figure it out,  
  
*indicates* stress on a certain word  
_indicates thoughts_  
  
  
  
~~~~~  
Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon  
Cpt 2: A Secret Revealed  
~~~~~  
  
Andy shared a quick glance with Darien. He knew how much his friend cared for Serena, no matter how much he tried to hide his feelings. But if Darien did what Andy knew he was thinking about... that would mean revealing their secret to Sere, trusting her... Andy wasn't sure how she would deal with the truth. But the look on Darien's face allowed no argument. Reluctantly, Andy nodded his silent agreement and turned to Mina.  
  
"Call an ambulance." he ordered. Mina turned frightened eyes to her boyfriend before sprinting to the back room's phone. Andy decided than nobody else in the store could see behind the counter. "It's all clear." he murmured to his best friend.  
  
Darien knelt next to Serena, quickly lifted up her shirt enough to allow easy access to the wound. The warm, deep red blood was flowing quicker now that the fabric of her blouse wasn't hindering it. There was no way an ambulance would get there in time to save her. Darien swallowed as his mouth went dry, knowing that he was Sere's only chance. He slipped a hand under her head and whispered to her. "Wake up, Serena. You have to look at me. Come on, Sere."  
  
Glazed blue eyes fluttered open. "Darien?" Serena murmured. What was going on? She felt so strange... it was like she was drifting away from him, away from the arcade. She looked up and was able to focus on his ocean-blue eyes. Funny, but they seemed darker than usual, and she thought she saw... sadness... overflowing in those eyes. But that couldn't be. Darien was never sad. And certainly never sad for *her*. He was too busy teasing her and making her life miserable.  
  
Darien left one hand cradling her head, and moved the other until it was over her stomach, palm down and spread. His fingers quickly got slicked with her blood, but he ignored it and looked deep in her eyes. _Think about Sere_ he commanded himself. He had to connect with her quickly. _Her long, beautiful blond hair and funky meatball buns... her bubbling happy personality... The way she thinks food can solve almost any problem... How loyal she is to her friends... her blue eyes that are almost the color of moonlight..._ He smiled, his eyes still locked on Serena's light blue orbs. _It's weird, but I never noticed that her iris has tiny silver flecks in them... I guess I've never had the chance before to stare into her eyes..._ He closed his eyes as he felt his mind connect with hers.  
  
A rush of images flooded into Darien's mind, flashing by so quickly that he barely recognized one before the next had taken its place. But as the memories flashed by, Serena's feelings about each one flashed by as well. _A two layer chocolate cake with the words 'Happy Birthday' scrawled in pink and extreme happiness... A young girl with long blond hair and another with short blue hair and Serena's feeling of friendship and belonging... a young man with dark hair and blue eyes, Darien recognized the younger version of himself, and her feelings of both curiosity and anger, destiny and annoyment..._ there was a few more images of food and her friends before the image show ended. Now that they were connected, Darien was able to feel the blood gushing out of her body as if it were his own. Feel her heart beating like it was in his chest, her breath in his lungs. He could feel the bullet in her.  
  
Concentrating, he focused all his energy on disintegrating the molecules of the metal, until it was simply washed out of her body by the blood. Then he turned his attention to the cells of her skin and tissue, willing them to grow together quickly. Her stomach mended, leaving unblemished skin where the wound had been. He opened his eyes and moved his hand from her stomach, breaking the connection. She was healed.  
  
"You're all right now." he smiled as he looked into her non-glazed eyes. She was starting to become aware of her surroundings, but he realized he had forgotten about the blood that had already stained her clothes. He didn't have time to use his powers to make it 'disappear', the sirens were almost here which meant the cops responding to the silent alarm that Andy had hit during the robbery would be bursting in any second. Desperate for an excuse for the blood, his eyes fell on the large glass full of strawberry syrup sitting near the ledge of the counter. Relieved, he grabbed it and poured the dark red sticky syrup on top of the blood. He looked back into her eyes. She had to understand she couldn't tell anybody what happened! He wrapped her fingers around the now-empty milkshake glass.  
  
"You grabbed the glass when you fell, spilling syrup on yourself. Don't say anything, please." he urged, looking deep into her moonbeam eyes. _Pleasebelievemepleasebelievemepleasebelieveme_ he chanted silently. He might have imagined it, but he thought she nodded slightly.  
  
"Darien. They're almost here." Andy's voice broke through between them. Darien looked up, and Andy nodded towards the back room, and the back door. Slipping past Mina who had just come back in the room in time to hear his lame explanation, he walked out the back door and left before the cops got there.  
  
"Oh my god, are you alright Sere?" Mina exclaimed, rushing over to help her best friend to her feet. "I thought you were shot..."  
  
Serena managed a weak smile. "I'm fine." she showed her the milkshake glass still clutched in her hand, "I spilled syrup. It just looked like blood."  
  
Andy wondered if she had any idea what had just happened, but then she glanced over shoulder to the back room, a longing look in her eyes. Moments later the cops arrived, and Andy was too busy filing the accident report to worry about Serena.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Mina asked. It was evening by the time they had been released from the police station after 'questioning', and she was walking Sere to her house. "I could spend the night or something."  
  
Serena shook her head. "I think I just need some down-time to relax. I'm still kinda buzzed from the experience." Mina frowned, worry clearly shown in her eyes.  
  
"Alright. But if you want you can call me and we can talk, okay?" she finally said.  
  
"Okay." Serena agreed. "See you in school tomorrow." she said before she walked into her house.  
  
"Yeah." Mina murmured. "See you tomorrow." She turned and walked home, her thoughts troubled and churning in her mind.  
  
~~~~~  
  
A million questions tumbled in her head as she tried to remain calm and sort them out. Did what she thought happen really happen? She vaguely remembered a sharp pain exploding at her waist, and being unable to keep herself from crumpling to the ground. Darkness had danced around her vision, making it hard to see. But she thought he had seen Darien lean over her and touch her waist, making the pain go away and healing her. But that was crazy. How could anyone be healed from a gunshot with a touch? But Darien's eyes had been pleading with her to keep whatever had happened silent and to tell everyone that the red stuff was only syrup. But what else could it have been? Blood? Serena shook her head as her thoughts ran around in circles. She was barely able to pay attention when she said goodbye to her best friend.  
  
Most of the lights were off as she opened the front door and stepped inside. Serena thanked whatever higher power was listening that her parents and little brother were already asleep. She quickly raced upstairs, careful not to trip over anything in the dark. She couldn't *wait* to get out of her sticky and now irrevocably stained school uniform. Good thing she had more than one shirt and skirt. Flipping on the light in the bathroom, she shut the door so that the light wouldn't pour out into the hall and wake up her family. Shedding her clothing and tossing the ruined uniform in the wastebasket, she grabbed a washcloth, intending to use the sink to get most of the syrup off her skin when she noticed something silvery in the mirror. She froze as she realized what she was seeing.   
  
Over her stomach, only partially revealed by the dried syrup and blood, was what looked like a glittering silver tattoo of a hand. It also looked like it was the same size as Darien's hands. And it was positioned right over where she thought she had been shot.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, ya like? Stay tuned for chapter three of Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon, titled "Stranger Around Us". Serena confronts Darien about the handprint, Luna makes an appearance, Mina grows suspicious, and a new girl named Leda enrolls in Crossroads Junior High. (If you've watched a single episode of Sailor Moon, you know new people aren't to be trusted). Till next time,   
  
Love, Peace, and Serenity to all,  
Bryn  
Goddess of Unrequited Love 


	4. Strangers Around Us

I don't own the book "Roswell High: The Outsider" by Melinda Metz. I love the way Liz confronted Max in the book much better than in the television ep, so I'm gonna 'borrow' the scene and tweek it a little. I also borrowed bits of dialouge from Sailor Moon anime eps. Anything you recognize as origional dialouge either from TV or from the Roswell book doesn't belong to me.  
  
I have two cats. One is female with black fur and golden eyes. Her name is Roswella. The other is male with white fur and blue eyes. His name is Zandro. Neither one has a golden cresent moon on their forheads. Neither have talked in English to me, and Roz has never jumped up in the air and done a backflip to create a golden brooch that I can use to turn into a defender of love and justice. If you think I'm pissed about that, then you know I'm pissed when I say that I don't own Roswell or Sailor Moon, so don't sue me. It's also hard to go to college and take care of two cats who never seem to not be hungry, so don't sue me because obviously I don't have much money after tuition and this week's supply of cat food is paid for. If you want to see pictures of my cats, go to http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/Bryn/Cats.html  
  
If you want to read chapter 3 of this fic, just keep scrolling down. Thank you for your time.  
  
  
~~~~~  
Crossdestiny: Sailor Moon  
Cpt 3: Strangers Around Us  
~~~~~  
  
The three sat in a booth in the empty Crown arcade. It was the morning after the shooting, and so far no customers had shown up yet. That wasn't a surprise to anyone, considering that it was only five in the morning and the sun had yet to rise. _Our meetings are best at night_ Andrew decided silently. _It lets us feel safer when the rest of the world is asleep_ Then again, it was hard to feel safe when her anger was filling the small store.  
  
"I can't believe you were so reckless! Using your powers on a stranger! And in *public* no less!" Her voice cut through the air, dangerously close to shrieking. She glared at the dark-haired man siting in front of her, anger practically rolling in waves off her. She turned her glare to the other man in the booth. "And why didn't you stop him?"  
  
Andy shrugged. "You know Darien. Once he's decided on something, it's impossible to change his mind."  
  
"Serena had been shot. She would have died if I hadn't saved her." Darien murmured, half-heartedly defending himself. His thoughts were mostly occupied with wondering about Serena. Was she all right now? Did she remember what happened? If he told her the truth, would she accept him for what he truly was or would she despise him, scared of the truth? His thoughts were a jumbled mess and he could barely spare the brainpower to focus on the conversation.  
  
"I don't mean to sound heartless, but are you sure that saving her life was the right thing to do?" That broke through his thoughts. Darien looked sharply at her, his eyes looking shocked and defensive at the same time. "How can we know if we can trust her?" she continued. "What if we tell her the truth, and she reveals us? Then it's only a matter of time before they find us and turn us over to some government agency where they're going to test us and prod us and, oh yeah, exterminate us."  
  
Darien didn't mention that he had been thinking similar thoughts. It would just encourage her. "You're overreacting. Besides," he replied, trying to sound calm and in control. "I couldn't just stand there and watch her die. I had to save her."  
  
"That's where you're wrong." she cut his explanation short. "The only thing you have to do is pretend to be human and help us find the prince. Everything else is just a means to the end."  
  
Andrew sighed before breaking into the conversation again. Usually it was fun to watch them bicker, almost as fun as watching Darien and Serena go at it, but even though he was kinda ticked that Darien would almost blow their cover, he had to side with him this time. Andy knew he would have risked their secret too if it had been Mina who was dying. "It's been over a year since you joined us," he said to her, "And we still haven't found the prince. What makes you think we ever will?"  
  
She turned her golden eyes to meet Andy's. "We will find the prince. We have to." she replied, her tone allowing no denials. "And once we find him, he will lead us into the battle against Beryl and we will take back his throne from that usurper. But first we must find the other two like us. Once the four square is complete, the prince will be revealed."  
  
Andy just shook his head. _She sounds so sure of herself_ he thought silently. Darien's thoughts still centered on Serena. Right now he couldn't concentrate on two others like them hidden on this planet, or on the mysterious prince who had yet to be found. All he could think about was, _What is Serena thinking right now?_  
  
~~~~~  
  
_Just act normal. Just act normal_ Serena chanted to herself under her breath as she walked into Crossroads Junior High. She hadn't been able to sleep so, as a last resort, she had worked on schoolwork, hoping it would tire her out so much that she would fall asleep. No such luck. She hid the circles under her tired eyes with makeup and the silver handprint on her stomach under her second uniform's shirt. She had also decided to tuck the shirt into the hem of her skirt in order to lessen the chance that it could flap up and reveal to the world that something had changed about Serena. Entering first period homeroom, Serena realized her mistake immediately. She was not just on time, she was actually early for the second day in a row.  
  
_So much for acting normal_ she groaned inwardly as everyone turned towards her and stared. Even though she was a few minutes early, most of the students were already there, and there were only a few empty seats left. Serena didn't think she could handle sitting next to Mina right now. Luckily, her other best friend, Amy, wasn't in the same homeroom as Serena and Mina. If she didn't think she could handle one friend, she *knew* she couldn't handle two. But Amy was the school genius and was in a few advanced classes: homeroom being one of them. Serena made a beeline to the closest empty seat that wasn't near Mina, and as she plopped down in the chair she realized her second mistake in less than five minutes.  
  
"Hi Serena! I didn't think you'd sit next to me!" A boy with short brown hair and large cokebottle glasses gushed. _Melvin_ she silently groaned again. Mina would never forgive her for blowing her off to sit next to the class nerd. And 'class nerd' was exactly what Melvin was. Then again, maybe she could turn this mistake into a good thing. Maybe talking with Melvin could get her mind distracted from its Darien/handprint/shooting circles of thought. "Did you hear the news? Crown Arcade was almost robbed yesterday!" he continued, not noticing as she visibly paled a shade or two.  
  
_Why me?_ she wondered, looking out the windows at the sky and ignoring Melvin's tries at conversation. _What did I ever do to anybody? Why is this happening to me?_ her right hand unknowingly drifted down to settle on the fabric covering the silver handprint, her smaller fingers spreading in the same manner as the marking. She realized what she was doing and yanked her hand away, glancing around to find out if anyone had seen her strange movement. Nobody had noticed it. _And what exactly is happening to me?_ she wondered again. Would the marking fade like a bruise, or was it permanent? She decided to pay a visit to Darien and Andrew after school to ask a few questions.  
  
"Good Morning, class." Miss Haruna greeted as she walked into the room, arms full of papers. Setting them on the desk, she turned back to the door to smile at the strange girl walking through it. Serena woke up a little more as she caught sight of the new girl. She was tall and athletic, with long light brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail with a few strands loose to hang down either side of her face. Instead of the Crossroads uniform (white blouse, blue skirt, and red bow), she wore a white and brown number that hung comfortably on her tall frame. "This is Leda Kino, a new student." Serena frowned as she shook off a mild wave of deja vu. She seemed familiar, but Sere couldn't figure out why. The new girl grabbed one of last empty seats and Sere tried to concentrate as Ms. Haruna started the class.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"It says right here that shots were fired but no one was injured." Amy read, a newspaper open in front of her. Amy and Mina were sitting together in the lunchroom, and Mina had filled her friend in on all the details of yesterday... at least, all the details Mina knew. But weird vibes had bothered the blond last night walking Serena home, and now she was certain something was wrong. Especially since it was lunch period, Serena's favorite time of the day, and the girl in question had yet to show her face in the cafeteria.  
  
"Then where's Serena?" Mina shot back at the bluette. "I mean, why is she avoiding me? Okay, first of all, Sere is always late right?" at Amy's nod, she went on. "She walks into homeroom today, early. Early! For the second day in a row. And then she goes and sits next to Melvin. She like, hates Melvin and you know like, goes around admitting it openly... and..." She broke off and glared at her best friend, "Amy, are you listening to me?"  
  
The blue-haired brainiac sighed. "Yeah, Mina, I'm listening to you. But this is just you being you. All right? Sere is fine, nothing happened at the arcade. It's all right here in black and white." she finished, pointing to the article in the paper. Mina was cut off from replying when a tall shadow fell over them.  
  
"Mind if I join you?" They turned to see the new girl holding a lunch tray. Mina slid over on the bench to make room for one more.  
  
"Make yourself at home." Amy said as she moved the newspaper out of the new girl's way. "My name is Amy, and she's Mina."  
  
"Leda Kino. Nice to meet you." the girl replied, setting her tray down and sitting.  
  
"Welcome to Crossroads. It's a nice school once you get used to it and Melvin stop it!" the last was directed to the local geekmeister who was tugging at Amy's elbow. With a mild glare at the boy, Amy excused herself and walked a few steps away from the table before turning to him. "What do you want?" she demanded in a whisper to keep her voice from carrying.  
  
"You should be careful of the new girl," Melvin advised, whispering aswell. "According to my notes, she got transferred from her old school for fighting. Everybody's keeping their distance. This girl sounds like major trouble."  
  
Amy sighed. The poor girl hadn't been here more than a day and already the rumor mill was churning out stories about her. So much for the 'Crossroads is a nice school' speech. "You really shouldn't judge people according to gossip." she chided her peer. A mischievous grin crossed her face. "Why don't you meet her for yourself?" she told Melvin, before grabbing his wrist and dragging him back to the table.  
  
"Amy! What are you doing? Let go! Have you lost your mind? Don't..." he trailed off as she pushed him onto the bench between herself and Mina. "Umm... Hey." he mumbled to the brunette.  
  
Leda grinned in greeting. "Hi. I'm Leda."  
  
"I know." Melvin replied absently. At her questioning glance, he blurted, "I'm Melvin."  
  
"I'm glad to discover there's at least a few nice people here." Leda said. "Everybody's been so mean."  
  
Ami shrugged. "That's because they're scared of you."  
  
"She means, they're scared of your reputation." Mina elaborated. Leda's eyebrow lifted in disbelief as she munched on a sandwich. Ami and Mina glanced at each other before elbowing Melvin simultaneously.  
  
"Ow!" he yelped. Hunching his shoulders against the two glares, he mumbled, "There's a full report on you already. Word gets around fast in this place."  
  
Leda frowned. "Oh, well, maybe I should transfer to a foreign school."  
  
Mina's eyes grew wide. "Are you crazy? What for?"  
  
"You'll be the mysterious new girl." Ami put in.  
  
Leda rolled her eyes. "You mean the karate maniac?"  
  
Melvin hunched a bit lower while Mina exclaimed, "Who would call you that?"  
  
_Only Serena's pals could make friends with a martial arts psychopath_ Melvin thought. As he watched the girls talking and laughing together, he had to wonder if maybe he was wrong about his assumptions about the new girl. But there was still something about her that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. No matter how much she acted like a normal girl, chatting with friends, he had the nagging feeling that she was hiding something. A big something. There were only two other people he knew that gave him the same feelings: Andrew the arcade guy and that Darien Chiba who often hung out at the arcade too. He has once told Mina about his suspicions back when she and Andrew started dating. _But she just thought I was being paranoid_ he reminded himself. And she was probably right. He did have one of the largest alien/UFO sighting websites in the world, and Serena always teased him about his supernatural obsession affecting his judgement.  
  
"Anyway," Mina continued, "How are you liking classes so far?"  
  
Leda shrugged. "It's okay. School has never been my strong point though. But gym is fun. The volleyball coach looks kinda like my old boyfriend."  
  
Mina grinned. "You got Coach Godai?" At Leda's nod, she continued, "You are so lucky. First day here and you already snagged the hot gym teacher. We have to wait until next quarter before we get volleyball. Oh, and I wouldn't recommend eating that."  
  
Leda paused, a bite of salad halfway to her mouth. "Oh?"  
  
Amy smiled. "It's an unwritten rule. Never eat anything green that comes from the cafeteria. Never eat *anything* from the cafeteria, actually. Especially on Mystery Meat Mondays. It's best to brown-bag it." she explained, gesturing to all the students' lunch sacks in the cafeteria. As Leda returned the uneaten bite to her bowl, Amy slid her own sack of sandwiches closer to the girl. "My mom made too much again, so I'm more than happy to share."  
  
Leda smiled in gratitude as she took one. "Thanks. I usually make my own food, but I was in a rush this morning and didn't have time." she sighed. "My apartment probably looks like a disaster area... I haven't had time to clean it and the movers just delivered the last boxes yesterday."  
  
Melvin's eyes widened. "Your parents let you have an apartment?" he exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
A shadow passed over her face. "My parents died in a plane crash." Leda admitted quietly. A stricken silence settled on the three figures opposite her.  
  
After a moment passed, Mina murmured, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Thank you." Leda replied. "It was a few years ago. I've been living on my own ever since." she took a deep breath, released it, and changed the subject. "So, you guys know anyplace fun around here?"  
  
"There's a couple movie theatres." Ami suggested. Melvin was still shocked by Leda's admission.  
  
"Or there's a good arcade nearby." Mina added. She grinned, "Why don't we take you there after school?" Amy nodded her agreement.  
  
"I'd love to," Leda answered, "but I really have to unpack after school. How about tomorrow afternoon, say two?"  
  
Amy nodded, "Two o'clock it is. How about we come by your place first?"  
  
Leda smiled, "That would be great." She just had time to finish the sandwich and jot down directions to her apartment for her new friends before the bell rang, announcing the end of lunch period.  
  
Mina frowned as she realized Serena had never shown up.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Serena grabbed her backpack and bolted from her chair as the last bell rang. Sprinting through the older halls and out the back door, she managed to leave the school without running into her friends. Breathing a sigh of relief, she headed towards the arcade. She just didn't think she could be around her friends right now without breaking down and telling them everything, which was something she really didn't want to do. Not yet, at least. She had to see Darien, to find out what had happened.  
  
Walking into the arcade, she looked up to see Darien sitting on a stool, talking to Andrew behind the counter. The scene was so familiar to her; it was as if yesterday hadn't happened. Then Darien turned and saw her, and the spell was broken. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she walked up to him.   
  
"We need to talk." she whispered. Darien glanced at Andrew. Andy sighed in reply and nodded towards the back room. Darien slid off the stool and accompanied Serena into the back. The back room was often the place where Darien and Andrew hung out on breaks, as well as the site of a few of Andy and Mina's makeout sessions. The living-room-sized area contained lockers for employees, a couch, a television, a television, and doors to the bathroom, kitchen, and a staircase heading upstairs.  
  
"So." Darien said as they both sat down facing each other on the couch. "How are you feeling?" _How are you feeling. What a lame thing to say_ he chastised himself silently.  
  
"I'm still sort of shaky, I guess." Sere answered. "That's normal, right? I probably have all this adrenaline racing around in my body with nothing to do. Like I ate too much sugar or something." Turning to him, she repeated the words she had been practicing all day. "I lied to everyone just like you asked me to. But I need to know what really happened."  
  
He nodded slowly to himself. "Okay. But before I start... there's no chance I could get *you* to believe that syrup story, is there?" he asked.  
  
She gave a short laugh. "I don't think so." she said, then grasped the edge of her school blouse and slowly pulled upward.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"What is she doing?" he screamed mentally, unable to look away from her. He had thought she wanted an explanation, but she was taking her shirt off! His heartbeat sped up as her shirt inched higher and higher, and then paused just below her bra. He released his breath in a hiss when he saw the shining silver handprint. *His* handprint.  
  
"I didn't get this from a glass of strawberry syrup." Serena held the hem of her shirt up with one hand and reached for Darien's hand with the other. Placing his hand palm down over the silver tattoo, she spread his fingers out to match it. The tattoo perfectly matched his hand.  
  
Darien gulped nervously. When he was touching her yesterday, he had been totally focused on healing her. But now... now he was hyperaware of the texture of Sere's skin, soft and smooth. So warm beneath his palm. He immediately mourned the loss of contact as she released his hand and moved a step away.  
  
"You did this, Dare. " Sere continued, smoothing her shirt back into place. "You saved my life. How?"  
  
Darien was stuck. What should he tell her? Where to begin? He finally decided to stick with the simplest answer. "I connected to you."  
  
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean, 'connected'?"  
  
"Our minds joined." Darien struggled, unable to find words to accurately describe the process. A thought occurred to him. "I've never tried this before, but maybe I can make the connection go the other way. So you can see that... that I'm still me." Slowly he leaned toward her on the couch. He noticed her begin to tense as he got closer. "I have to touch you," he said. After a moment's consideration she nodded her consent, and he placed his hands on either side of her head. Looking deep into her moonbeam eyes, he murmured, "Now relax and try to let your mind go blank."  
  
~~~~~  
  
The touch of his hand on her cheek startled her. She had never realized how warm his hands were, and energy seemed to spark like static when their skin touched. The feeling was rather pleasant though, and she relaxed as he cradled her head in his hands. She let her mind go blank as she gazed into his deep blue orbs, lost in his beauty. His eyes darkened a shade or two while she watched, and suddenly images unfolded like a movie in her head. Four children, two boys and two girls, approximately six years old. One boy had sandy-blond hair... Andrew, she recognizes... one girl had medium dark brown hair, the other two had onyx-black hair... Darien and some other girl. She saw the dark-haired girl and young Andrew walk off, while the brunette and Darien walk together hand in hand. Men in white lab coats approaching, finding out that they didn't have any parents. Fear and anger as the men pulled the siblings apart, forcing them away from each other. The boy being left with a smiling couple. Fear. A car driving off a cliff. She saw a young, raven-haired boy, the same one except a year or two older, with a bandage around his head, sitting in a large bed with men in white lab coats standing around. Feelings of pain, loneliness, fright overwhelmed her, and she thought she might drown in the sorrow when the image shifted. The boy was now sitting on a different bed, in a large room filled with many identical beds in rows. An orphanage, she realized. The loneliness was still there, but it began to fade as she noticed a sandy-haired boy sitting on the bed opposite his. A tearful reunion as they recognize each other, and wondered where the other two were. Growing up together in the orphanage, sticking up for each other. Fastforward a few years. Darien is older now, a bag full of high school homework slung over his shoulder as he enters Andrew's arcade. Greeting his friend, arguing with the young blond with the strange hair on one of the stools. Another image of herself, this time standing with Mina and laughing at one of her friend's jokes. His desire as he watched her swept over her and nearly stole her breath away.  
  
She breathed deeply as her vision cleared. Darien stood so close to her, waiting for her reaction. The severity of what had happened rocked her to her toes. She had actually viewed his memories, felt everything he was feeling. She had felt his loneliness, the pain that he kept hidden under his cool demeanor. For the first time she was really seeing Darien Chiba. She had seen herself as he saw her, and the amazing thing was, in his eyes, she was beautiful. A shocking fact made her gaze at Darien in wonder.  
  
  
He loved her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~  
  
Wow... that was pretty long, wasn't it? Sorry 'bout that, but I wanted to get to this point before going on to the next chapter. Future chapters will probably be a tad shorter. Comments and sugestions for future events are more than welcome.  
  
Until the next chapter,  
Peace, Serenity, and Love to all,  
Brynhild, Goddess of Unrequited Love  
Bryn_GoUrL 


End file.
